View towards the head of the Mangatepopo Valley. Photo NC.

The ascent to the Saddle is one of the two steep uphill parts of the trip (when walked in this direction). The altitude gain is approximately 300 m (1000'). The second one follows soon after from South Crater to Red Crater.
The saddle marks the entrance of South Crater, with Ngaruhoe rising to the right. The basaltic lava flows of the 1954 eruption are still a clearcut feature of the upper slopes of Ngaruhoe. Older, larger lava flows have spread widely in the head of the valley, where lighter colouring indicates more advanced stages of weathering and colonisation by the vegetation. Right in the head of the valley, at the bottom of the Saddle, the green area reveals the location of Soda Springs.